An Old Friend
by jazzybizzle
Summary: The night before the twins leave the S.S. Tipton, a hurt Zack decides to play a little basketball by himself, hoping that he'll be able to get over Maya. Little did he know that an old friend of his was waiting for him there. ZackxMax


**Just an idea that came into my head. I just had to write it down before I could forget it!**

**So here you go, a possible outcome-that I wished for-that could've happened in the season finale. But, of course, it's definitely rated T ;D**

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Before leaving the S.S. Tipton, Zack decided to come back to the basketball court at sunset, basketball in his hand. He couldn't believe that he had made it. He had graduated. He has a chance to go to college.

At first, the idea of college would always be dejected by Zack. Throughout his life, the older twin was the lazy and cooler brother-the one who would never amount to anything and would most likely be a high school dropout. Well, technically, the only way to drop out of school for him was to literally _jump out_.

Zack might not be that smart, but he wasn't _stupid._

He was actually hoping that he and Maya could've stayed together; he had been ready for a serious relationship. To stick with one girl and be happy with her for a while. _But I guess she didn't want to give us a chance. _Zack was still hurt, but his inner player was already over her.

_Looks like it's Single Zack again…_he thought as the ball left his fingertips. _Swish. _Nothing but net. The ball bounced back to him. He dribbled the ball three times, twice between his legs. Knees bent, arms rose, and-

"Hey, Baller."

Zack froze. That voice…friendly, teasing, and slightly deepened with puberty, he turned around and came to face with a young woman his age that had brown eyes; and he knew those eyes anywhere. He thought he'd never see her again. How long had it been since he's last seen her? Five years?

But there she stood before him, with her hair in loose curls and wearing a creamy and flared dress with black pumps; her legs looked like they could run for miles.

"Max?" A smile started to grow across his face; suddenly, his day seemed to get a whole lot better.

"Hey, Zack." Her smile widened as he dropped the basketball and made his way over to her; she walked over to him, closing the space between them, and the two old friends embraced each other.

"Wow," he said, pulling back to look at her. He felt smug that he had to look down. "How did you get here?"

"I didn't know if I was too late, but London helped me get here either way," Max explained. "I couldn't miss my best friends' graduation." She gently elbowed him, and they grinned.

"Well, you look beautiful," he blurted out, but she looked flattered and even blushed. "You really decked yourself out."

"Thanks." She flipped her hair over her shoulder on one side. "I wanted to make a good impression." She spotted the basketball on the ground and bent over to pick it up. She began dribbling it.

"You still play?" He asked, backing away a few paces until he was underneath the goal.

"Here and there," she shrugged, and the ball was airborne. It rolled around on the rim before going in. She smiled, putting her hands on her hips. "And it looks like I still got it."

Zack laughed as he caught it, bouncing it up and down. "Up for a little one-on-one?" He flashed her a mischievous grin.

Max smirked back, stepping out of her heels. "Bring it, Martin."

For the next half hour, the old pals played against each other, like old times. During their play, they'd ask each other questions about what the other person was up to. And it turned out that Max hadn't changed a bit, besides being a little more girly. She still danced, and was planning on majoring in dance for college; her dream was to become a hip hop dance teacher. And the only close friends she still had were Tapeworm and Agnes.

When it came to a teasing question about relationships, Max stated simply that she was simple. She had dated here and there but never found anyone special. As for Zack, it threw him off guard, and he missed his shot.

"I dated around," he admitted. "Then there was this one girl…Maya...who I felt almost serious about. But she, um…broke up with me the other day. Because she's moving to Africa for two years, and she doesn't think that we'd be able to stay together."

Max saddened. "Aww, I'm so sorry, Zack. That's her loss. You're a great dude."

Zack managed a smile. "Thanks, I guess. You're a great dude, too."

Max giggled. "Nice." She turned her back to him, bouncing the ball a few more times. "What about Cody?"

"He's totally in love with this girl named Bailey," he said. "It first started out as a one-sided thing, then they went out, then broke up in Paris, then got back together in Kansas and have been inseparable ever since. I think you'd like her."

"Hmm. Having a girl friend would be nice."

"You don't have any back home?"

"I don't know why, but it's like they don't like me for some reason." She stopped bouncing the ball and held it in her hands, unsure. "It's always been that way. Agnes was the only one who stuck by me since the beginning."

Zack knew the look she had on her face without even looking at her. "Well you know what?" Coming up behind her, he wrapped his arms around hers, his big hands overlapping her dainty ones; raising their arms and pushing the ball forward, the basketball soared through the air and made nothing but net. While her arms fell, her back still pressed against his front, his hands cupped around her arms and his cheek brushed against her ear. "I think they're totally missing out. Any girl would be lucky to have your friendship. And any guy would be lucky as cheese to be with you."

"Cheese?" Max was skeptical, an amused smile beginning to form around her lips.

"Eh, it fit better than ham."

Max fought the urge to roll her eyes. "But do you really mean that? About guys being lucky to be with me?"

"Of course." His cheeks warmed up a little. "I'd know."

Max turned around to face him, their faces inches apart. He acted on a reflex, his hand cupping the side of her face, then drifting down to her neck. Her breath hitched in her throat as he stroked her jawline with his thumb; he's had plenty of experiences with kissing girls, and she's only had a certain few, and they weren't all that great.

So when she met him halfway for the kiss, she wasn't expecting for a feeling like this. And neither did he. Max and Zack's first kiss was a one-time thing, and Max just flat out be-smooched him. There was no kiss_ing, _no groping, no breathy pants. They were too young for that.

But that was definitely happening now. Zack kissed her slow at first, so they could both get used to kissing each other. And he was definitely enjoying it. Her lips were soft, full. Supple. Her hands were on his chest, inching upwards towards his hair. He took this opportunity to let his own hands roam her body in repetitive up and down motions, and pull her closer to him; oh yes, she was curvy. Her hips were perfect. And she was certainly not flat-chested anymore. She felt warm in his arms, her body molded and fitted with his like a puzzle piece.

Tilting his head more, carefully and hesitantly, he ran his tongue across her bottom lip. Max gasped, but opened her mouth wider for him to slip his tongue inside; she shuddered against the new sensations running through her body. He coaxed her tongue, exploring it; running under it, over it, caressing it with his own, emitting a soft moan from her. He could tell that she was inexperienced, but she was catching on quickly, and she was french kissing him back, her tongue trying to dominate over his. Their embrace, their kisses, became deeper.

He went back to just kissing her gently after another minute, his head positioned a little straighter. This was becoming addicting. He could kiss her all night, and she was letting him.

"I missed you..." she murmured against his lips, her hands now cupping his face.

"I missed you too..." he held her tighter, fingertips digging into the small of her back; their noses touched, eyes fluttering open. Gazes lidded, the two gazed at each other until Zack leaned in again, unable to help himself. He gave her a long, lingering kiss; the moment their lips met again, one of her hands slid into his hair. What was there to resist?

Their lips parted, and Max smiled wryly, her head resting against his neck. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" he wondered with a soft chuckle.

"We shouldn't be doing this, especially after you and Maya broke up..."

Zack smiled a little, placing a finger under her chin, making her lift her head to look at him. "Maya who?"

Max couldn't help but giggle as he brought her lips up to meet his. Them kissing was translated into her hidden feelings for him, and his resurfacing for her.

It was so wrong, but it felt so right.

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**And end :) Hope you liked it. Feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think! I prefer Zack with Max, just in case you guys didn't know ;P**


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